French Rally Driver’s Career Derailed by Faulty Drug Test Before Morocco Race

The facts go back to May 2, 2022. As she was heading to Biarritz for the start of the 4L Trophy Raid, a solidarity rally race that takes place on the tracks of Morocco (men and women under 28 years old cover more than 6,000 km in 10 days, in 4L, to the dunes of the Sahara) in the company of her boyfriend, Lucie*, 23, is the victim of an accident, reports La Dépêche du Midi. She loses control of her car, a pink 4L, overloaded on the 68 between Albi and Toulouse, near the town of Lagrave.

"The car was overloaded. We were overtaken by an ambulance driving at high speed. There must have been a suction effect. The 4L has no power steering and I lost control. It’s a succession of small things that made me lose control of the car," says the young woman. She comes out with a slight knee injury and a slight head trauma. "Nothing compared to the violent impact," she specifies. Her companion is unharmed. But the intervention of the gendarmes at the scene of the accident complicates Lucie’s life. An alcohol and drug test proves positive. She has her license revoked.

"This result was not possible, I do not use drugs. I therefore of course requested a counter-analysis," says Lucie. She receives the result at the beginning of last week. "The supplementary analysis report concerning the opinion of retention of your driver’s license dated May 2, 2022 in Lagrave is negative. Consequently, you will find attached your driver’s license held by the law enforcement agencies, your driving rights are restored and your license is valid," writes the prefecture of Tarn. This confirms the young woman’s suspicions. The test carried out by the gendarmes was therefore a false positive.

Lucie gets her license back but is still in shock. "I had a lot of problems because of this. This accident was reported in the press, on social media, and I was recognized. My sponsors for the 4L Trophy were unhappy, told me I had tarnished their image. I am at the end of my studies, in an engineering school. Finding a job is also complicated, doors have been closed to me," continues the young woman.

*First name changed